Biography Summary

Peter D. Wearden, MD, PhD, is a congenital heart surgeon at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Assistant Professor of Surgery and Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to practicing the full complement of congenital and pediatric heart surgery, Dr. Wearden is Director of Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support and Surgical Director of Heart and Lung Transplantation at Children’s Hospital. Dr. Wearden is also a core faculty member of the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine where he oversees a large National Institutes of Health funded research enterprise with research efforts geared towards the treatment of heart failure in children, including the development of artificial hearts and mechanical blood pumps capable of supporting infants and children, the development of pediatric lung assist devices, and the application of tissue engineering to pediatric heart disease.

Dr. Wearden is a graduate of Georgetown University and the West Virginia University School of Medicine where he received his Doctorate of Medicine and a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology. He completed general surgical training at West Virginia University Hospitals. His cardiac surgery training was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.

He is a diplomat of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery with additional qualification in Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery. Dr. Wearden is the President-elect of the American Society of Artificial Internal Organs and is a Consultant to industry for the development of heart and lung devices for children. Dr. Wearden has published numerous peer reviewed manuscripts in scientific journals and is a requested speaker at many national academic and clinical conferences. He is annually recognized as a top doctor by Pittsburgh Magazine and by Castle and Connolly/US News and World Report.